by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton was face down in the grass behind first base.

The powerful outfielder is the face of the Miami Marlins franchise. Lying there Monday night in the team's glittering but more-than-half-empty downtown stadium, he suddenly was the embodiment of a baseball/business plan gone awry in a remarkably â?? maybe unprecedented â?? short time.

The Marlins rallied to beat the New York Mets in 15 innings in front of the raucous remains of the crowd of 15,605. That's a typical gathering for a team that's averaging 19,331, next to last in the National League, but hardly the norm for a team in its second year in a new ballpark.

This franchise is hardly the norm. Fans are torn: Between supporting their team in a state-of-the-art facility the franchise lacked for its first 19 seasons and disdain for Jeffrey Loria, the owner they hold responsible for the team with the worst record in baseball.

"I'm very disappointed," says Sam Kissinger, who's been sharing season tickets with a group of friends since 2003. "This is not what the owner promised when the stadium was built. He duped us."

The victory Monday kept the Marlins one game behind the Houston Astros, anointed almost by acclamation before the season as the worst team in the majors.

These Marlins could be just another bad team â?? baseball annually has several -- but there's a history here.

They've won two World Series since coming into existence in 1993, but both times the rosters were purged of high salaries after the victories. Before this season, the Marlins traded away shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell â?? the trio they signed to $191 million worth of contracts a year earlier â?? plus pitcher Josh Johnson, catcher John Buck and outfielder Emilio Bonifacio.

And this time the Marlins didn't win a World Series. They lost 93 games, in a gaudy new ballpark largely financed by the public.

Team president David Samson repeatedly has explained to fans that the results from last year's expenditure hardly look like prudent business. There's certainly some logic to that, but there's also that history.

In part, that's why the usual honeymoon effect of a new ballpark is over â?? even last year's 27,401 average, 12th in the NL was below projections â?? and now the Marlins don't have their best man.

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LIFE WITHOUT STANTON

Stanton was prone on the field in the 10th inning Monday because of a strained right hamstring that could keep him out of the lineup a month or more.

It was a night that could have defined â?? even, for all intent and purposes, ended â?? a season.

"You wake up thinking, man, I'm glad we won that game," says first-year manager Mike Redmond, who played on the 2003 World Series winners. "We've lost a lot of those games. You know the morale of the team is based on staying in these games."

Maybe it at least bought the Marlins time. But time for what?

They've won just seven of 26 games this season, with a lineup that has little support around Stanton, who's hit 71 homers the past two seasons and bats third in the lineup.

The five players who have batted cleanup behind him â?? Greg Dobbs, Placido Polanco, Joe Mahoney, Justin Ruggiano and Austin Kearns â?? have combined for 82 homers over the past four seasons.

Now, they'll play without Stanton, which could be something they need to get used to. Tuesday night, Polanco, Dobbs and Ruggiano comprised the Nos. 3-5 spots in the batting order.

Stanton is just 23 but will eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, which should mean a significant raise from his current $537,000. Unless there's an economic turnaround for the franchise by the time Stanton is eligible for free agency after the 2016 season, signing him to a long-term contract could be difficult, even if he were interested in staying.

Potential suitors would line up if the Marlins decided to trade him sometime in the interim.

That's the vicious cycle they were supposed to end with the new ballpark.

Monday's game was started by 20-year-old Jose Fernandez, the pitching jewel of a productive farm system. He's a perfect fit for a team that plays in the Little Havana section of Miami, having survived a harrowing fourth attempt at defecting from Cuba and turning into a top prospect as a high schooler in Tampa.

It's the prospects and the ballpark that give the Marlins hope â?? hope for the dwindling diehards who won't give up on their team.

And hope for ownership with a sparkling stadium that helps overcome a reluctance by some in the community to spend money they think will end up in Loria's coffers.

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A SHORT HONEYMOON

Kissinger shrugs when he acknowledges that some fans feel that way.

"I love baseball too much," he says, munching on popcorn and a drink on the hardly crowded lower-level concourse about a half hour before Tuesday's game with the Mets. "And this stadium is beautiful. I think it's the best in the majors."

OK, so maybe there is a honeymoon â?? just one more sparsely attended than most.

"The crowds we do get are behind us 100%," says outfielder Juan Pierre, who's seen the good times as a member of the 2003 Series winners and returned to his adopted hometown this year. "There's even people standing outside at midnight waiting for autographs. It's crazy."

Pierre has spent enough time around Miami and he's recognizable enough to feel the push-back.

"A lot of people don't want to us win," he says. "But the fans we do have really want to see us win."

That's not going to be easy. The Marlins are the lowest-scoring team in the majors, the only one averaging fewer than three runs per game. Now, Stanton is out, as are outfielder Logan Morrison, first baseman Casey Kotchman and shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria.

"If we could just erase all of April, that would be good," a subdued Stanton said Tuesday, taking long pauses as if searching for the words. "Now, I and the team have to deal with this. It's a tough break â?¦ pretty frustrating."

Asked if he felt snakebit, Redmond said, "You mean, do I think I wanted to hire on for this? It's been one thing after another, really, for the whole season. Nobody's going to feel sorry for us."